Arsenal youngster undergoes surgery

Emile Smith Rowe is set for a spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery to sort a recurring pain he has experienced in his groin region of late.

THE LOWDOWN: ANOTHER INJURY SETBACK

Arsenal are set to be without Emile Smith Rowe for a period of time, following a recent injury blow to the winger.

Having enjoyed a good run of form in the Gunners XI last season, it has been a different story for the youngster this season, with apparent fitness struggles looking like the order of the day.

Over the past few months, Emile Smith Rowe has battled discomfort in his groin, which has limited his training and match appearances for Arsenal.

And in a fresh blow,  the 22-year-old is now set to be on the sidelines until at least December, following a procedure on his groin.

THE LATEST: SMITH ROWE UNDERGOES SURGERY

In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Arsenal revealed that Smith Rowe had undergone surgery in a bid to sort out his recurring groin injury.

The statement read: “Following a significant setback at our Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 4, and after further specialist consultations and discussions with our medical team, Emile underwent surgery to repair a damaged tendon in his groin.”

“This successful surgery took place in London in the past few days and Emile’s rehabilitation programme is already underway. We are hopeful that Emile will return to full training in December.”

“Everyone at the club will now be supporting and working hard with Emile to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible.”

THE VERDICT: MAJOR BLOW FOR ALL PARTIES

It is a big blow for Mikel Arteta who would have been looking forward to a full squad ahead of a jampacked fixture schedule. Following the latest development, the youngster is now definitely out of contention for the World Cup and will also miss about 16 games in total from now until he is scheduled to resume training.

Games Smith Rowe will miss while on the treatment table

We can only hope he returns as scheduled and possibly stays fit until the end of the campaign. At a young age, he is already suffering a lot of injuries and that could limit his potential as we have seen with several youngsters in the past, highlighted by former Gunner and current u-18 head coach Jack Wilshere.

All things going well, he should be ready for selection again ahead of Arsenal’s home fixture against West Ham on Boxing day.